Buyer's Guide: Types of Cookie Molds:
INVESTMENT VALUE TYPES FUNCTIONALITY SOURCES
*****Quality ANTIQUE Cookie Molds, quality solid wood, carved by woodcarvers
with traditional hand tools. Age is often difficult to establish.
Most of these museum quality collectibles are too valuable to be used in shaping cookies.
Heirlooms are bought for investment, to compliment collections, and as decorative accents.
www.pinterest.com and E-bay are good sources [caution: listings often misrepresent origin,
age and value]. Also garage sales, flea markets, & antique shops.
****One-of-a-Kind Cookie Molds Carved by Modern
Master Carvers, entirely with traditional hand gouges and chisels (which increases
both the cost and value of these carvings).
Most of these are fully functional with hand tooling that generally produces a molded cookie
shape with sharper lines and shapes than those typically produced by router carving alone.
Modern custom carvers include Vince Marine and Russ Hamilton of IL, Walter Geluryckens
of Belgium -- and the Masters of all Cookie Mold Carvers: Olda Kvapil of the Czech Republic
and Jan VandeVoorde and many others of Belgium.
*** Original Cookie Mold Carvings, signed and carved with hand-held tools by a
master woodcarver, quality solid wood, each unique in its carving execution (no two exactly
identical). Smaller, more popular designs produced in larger quantities. Rarely one-of-a-kind.
Fully functional, each item is itself a work of art.
Most are fully functional, make affordable gifts, and are ideal molds for establishing a family
tradition of shaping edible-art cookies. Many are "heirloom" quality - something that can rarely
be said for the types of molds listed below.
Larger and limited edition designs are generally a better investment value than
the smaller molds which are carved in larger quantities.
HOBI Cookie Molds/Gene Wilson and Allen Buchheit: www.cookiemold.com
** Cookie Molds carved by computerized duplicating machinery
(CNC or Laser), quality solid wood. Typically signed by same duplicating machinery,
these carvings are identical to each other and are as good as the abilities of the artist/computer
programmer. Sadly, most of the molds now sold to tourists in Germany and Switzerland are
carved almost entirely by such CNC type duplicating machinery.
Most are fully functional and make affordable handcrafted gifts. If you want to produce
beautiful cookies and don't fancy the heirloom or decorative value of the molds themselves,
SOME of the better ones of these may be a good choice for you.
Some of the larger, more expensive CNC designs are signed and produced in small quantities,
which may allow them to retain their value as collectibles.
Tecton Precision Products: www.cherrycookiemolds.com [Currently inactive]
Fantes Springerle Molds: www.fantes.com/springerle.html
S. R. White Carving: www.srwhitecarving.com
* Non-wood Resin Castings of Cookie Mold Originals.
Most are fully functional copies of antique molds borrowed for copying from museums or
private collections. Produced in the United States, Germany, Switzerland, and China - these
molds have a true historic cookie mold design.
Most are fully functional and make beautiful cookies, although the material content of molds
(such as those from China) may be a cause for some anxiety. Cleaning the molds after use is
sometimes difficult and they are subject to chipping with heavy use. Some of these may be a
good choice for those who want fancy cookies but are not interested in the heirloom value of
the molds themselves.
Each design is produced in large quantities from a master mold - this makes the investment
value minimal or non-existent.
House on the Hill: www.houseonthehill.net
Springerle House: www.springerlehouse.com
The Springerle Baker: www.thespringerlebaker.com
Other Non-wood Cookie Molds. metal, pottery, glass, and ceramic
(including terra cotta) molds are available from a number of foreign and domestic
suppliers.
Hand Carved Picture-Cookie Molds
Buyer's Guide: Types of Cookie Molds
Hand Carved Picture-Cookie Molds
Buyer's Guide: Types of Cookie Molds
BUYER'S GUIDE TO COOKIE MOLDS
This page was last updated: July 31, 2019
HOBI Cookie Molds
The information on this webpage is the sole opinion of Gene Wilson "America's Cookie Mold Carver."
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Hand Carved Wooden Molds
Mold reflects the talent /experience of the artist YES SELDOM
Resin Castings, Computer & Laser Produced Carvings
Comparison of Hand Carved Wooden Molds vs. All Other Molds and Stamps
Mold is connected with a history of traditional use
and is likely to be passed on to the next generation YES UNLIKELY
Each design has a very limited production YES NO
Each individual mold is truly an uniquie piece of art YES NO
Mold signed & dated so you know where, when and YES NO
who produced it
All types of molds may be fully
functional in producing beautiful cookies...
If you are as interested in the mold as you are the cookie, consider wooden molds!
Mold is an heirloom and collectible USUALLY SELDOM
